It is difficult for many people to view street signs and house numbers from a distance. Darkness and inclement weather conditions can exacerbate the problem. Failure to read street signs or addresses can cause traffic delays, and in some cases, automobile accidents as drivers slow or stop while trying to read street signs and numbers. Other drivers must swerve to avoid the stopped car, or wait until the stopped car turns or moves on.
Inability to read location information is a significant problem for the elderly, whose visual acuity and night vision declines with age. It is therefore important for the safety and comfort of these and other drivers to provide a system whereby they can view street signs sufficiently in advance of intersections to prepare for a turn or change lanes. It is also important to see house numbers so that drivers can readily locate the address that they are seeking without stopping the car and walking to the house.
There have been several attempts to solve traffic related problems with advanced technology. Technology using Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) provides current location to drivers of vehicles having the GPS system, but these devices are relatively expensive. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,896 discloses a system to warn drivers of slow moving traffic and other traffic related problems. U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,126 discloses a system to preprogram destination information using magnetic strips on cards or radio transmissions. U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,936 discloses a data manager, which monitors vehicle location and transmits location information to vehicles on request. This data manager notifies the vehicle when it is within a specified distance of the destination. It also allows a user to monitor the progress of the vehicle headed toward the location. U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,529 discloses pattern recognition apparatus for reading road sign text in order to provide this information to a navigational system such as a GPS system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,724 discloses the use of a geographic database to report information about nearby road signs to a driver upon request, again following the overall GPS model. While such systems may be useful for providing information that helps the traveler to find a destination, they can require fairly elaborate equipment for solving the problem of locating a nearby street or building.
It is desirable to have an accurate, reliable, and inexpensive system whereby drivers of vehicles can easily determine street address numbers and street names during periods of reduced visibility or inclement weather without leaving their vehicles.